Oh wow! Thanks guys for your replies and to you Bob Weir for that great list of areas of concern.
Michakaveli, a BIG thank you for looking at annd test driving this one for me - sort of being my eyes and hands from a distance! (Sorry for the cell phone call failure! I will get back with you...).
Today, my wife, son and daughter loaded into the 85 DSEL and headed off to Fort Wayne, IN to take a look at
this one. (I am soooo upset that I didn't check THIS thread in the past few days because I have been spending most every free moment at home on the web looking at these cars! I could have certainly used the suggestions of Bob Weir while there.)
Anyway, the car at first look is - gorgeous. The green w/parchment leather has to be my favorite combo. Exterior from 10 - 15 ft is 'perfect' but closer reveals the small imperfections like couple of small chips in the lower body cladding and very small ding on drivers door. Then the next level (worse) would be the 'scuff mark' behind the rear drivers side wheel well on the cladding, it should rub out I think. Then on the passenger side doors are a couple light scratches - again I think they will polish out almost completely. Then the worst level of exterior damage is the grille dent (actually 2 of the cross-bars are dented in a bit more than slightly) and the front bumper and apron/valance(?) that has definately come into contact with a lamp pole base or some similar object! Nothing TERRIBLE mind you but enough that anyone here would want it fixed!
Interior is - nearly NEW! The driver's seat has NO cracks/splits whatsoever! And the rest of the seating
appear they have not been sat in. Something I observed was both door pockets are beginning to loose their vinyl covering due to pulling stuff out of them and lifting the edges of the vinyl. I'm picky and would like to see that repaired at some point, should I end up buying it! Not sure they can be effectively fixed though. Factory floor mats are in like new condition as well as the carpeting throughout. One small crack in the wood someplace on the console - hardly noticeable.
The car runs smooth as silk. The accelerator pedal is a bit touchy - push a little and nothing, push just a titch more and WHOOOOMMM away you go! That would need some attention. Cruises nicely at 80mph and shifts smoothly as well.
I'm not sure how to determine if the harness has been replaced nor the head gasket so I'm hangin out there on that one! The AC compressor engages and there are some bubbles I can see in the little sight glass on the accumulator(?) BUT the air from the vents is not much more cooler than ambient so I'm thinkin there's more to this than "...just a charge."
Bottom line is this: I like this car but am nervous about the biggies, head gasket, wire harness and the evaporator. SO, I put a small deposit on the car ($200) to hold it until Monday when they will take it for me to their local MB dealership to have a PPI done on it. After it has been inspected, I will talk with the MB dealership about what they have found and determine at that point how to move forward. Any other suggestions from you geniuses (and I do mean that!) will be appreciated AND I WILL LOGON HERE OFTEN SUNDAY TO READ YOUR REPLIES!
Thanks again to you guys and hope you all have a great evening. Now I gots to get to bed as it will be time to get up for church soon enough...
